Yes, first world problems are a real thing, but that does not mean that my problems/issues/hurt/pain are not valid. Other people around the world are suffering and most times it’s at a magnitude that most could not possibly comprehend. Even our fellow Americans deal with daily hardship and most people are not aware. I know that children in South America (see I said a something other than Africa, unlike most people) are starving, and please believe that I care and hope to contribute in any way that I can. But, if I’m having a bad day, let me have my freaking bad day! Dang! It’s what’s relative to the person’s life at the moment and not their fault. You’re upset that people in a developed, technologic world have developed world problems? That’s stupid.

You cannot blame others for issues/situations that do not directly relate to them. e.g. someone who decided to make Youtube videos for a living has NOTHING to do with photojournalists being beheaded in other countries. Those are global, societal, and governmental issues.

Yes, being a nurse practitioner, doctor, and lawyer are all amazing and require hard work, diligence, and time. & yes, it is absolutely necessary that these people exist. But, WTH does that have to do with anything else?

Doctors chose to be doctors. Lawyers chose to go to law school, pass the bar and practice law. Cops chose to join law enforcement. Okay? Your point? Chefs cook, singers sing, architects plan and design buildings, athletes play sports, teachers educate our children, garbage men pick up trash, and politicians run the world. These are what we call jobs, people– we all have them.

When someone makes a certain amount of money for what they do, you shouldn’t attack them. If you want to see change in the world, impact society; change the minds of your fellow human beings. But criticizing Lebron James–who I’m not the biggest fan of– for the millions that he makes is not only hate directed in the wrong direction, but it’s something that will change absolutely nothing.

Wrigley, Fenley and Yankee stadiums don’t sell themselves out. As my college professor once said, you can never be upset with a MLB player because he is only making the millions that you give him. Also, his millions are well deserved; he works extremely hard to maintain his strength, endurance, and longevity. Athletic careers are lucrative, but they don’t last forever. Once it’s over, it’s over.

Doctors are there to heal us. Nurses take care of us. Entertainers ENTERTAIN US! Like, what else do you think this is? I’m sure that after that long 12 hour shift, Ms. Susan, the nurse, wouldn’t mind relaxing on her couch with a bottle of wine and her subscription of Netflix.

The Housewives of all the cities are ridiculous and the show is insanity. But, people enjoy it and that’s an issue you have to take up with them. Sure, you may not feel like what Kim Kardashian does is relevant to society, but clearly she’s relevant to someone. They’re not Keeping Up With the Kardashians for nothin’.

We are all individual beings with individual talents. Not everyone is here to travel abroad and document the tragedies taking place in underdeveloped countries. If that’s what you do, awesome! DO YOU! I appreciate you just the same. But do NOT try to discredit what I do because it’s different from what you do. I mean, I quite enjoy music. So, thank you to all of the musicians, singers, songwriters, producers, etc. out there. My life wouldn’t be the same without you.

Moral of the story: don’t be an idiot. Don’t belittle others because you don’t like what they do. Don’t attack people you don’t know, especially via the dang-on internet, and infer that their lives are meaningless and useless. Don’t assume that because someone isn’t doing heart surgery, what they’re doing isn’t life-changing–people influence society in various ways. And lastly, don’t do the exact opposite of what you’re trying to enforce.

I’m not sure how most people feel about this quote, but I know that when I first saw it on Tumblr I reblogged it immediately. I know that when I watched the first episode of The Newsroom and the main character Will Mcavoy made these statements it made me smile. I said to myself: finally, some truth. I love being an American and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but there is much truth in his statement. Here is a response to the question: “What makes America the greatest country in the world?”

“…And with a straight face, you’re gonna tell students that America’s so star-spangled awesome, that we’re the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom, Japan has freedom, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Belgium has freedom. [laughs] So 207 sovereign states in the world, like a hundred and eighty of them have freedom….There’s absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world. We’re 7th in literacy, 27th in math, 22nd in science, 49th in life expectancy, 178th in infant mortality, 3rd in median household income, number 4 in labor force, and number 4 in exports. We lead the world in only 3 categories: number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next 26 countries combined. 25 of whom are allies. Now, none of this is the fault of a 20-year-old college student. But you, nonetheless, are without a doubt a member of the worst. generation. ever. So when you ask, “what makes us the greatest country in the world?” I dunno know what the fuck you’re talking about. Yosemite? [Pause] We sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors. We put our money where our mouths were. And we never beat our chest. We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy. We reached for the stars, acted like men. We aspired to intelligence, we didn’t belittle it, it didn’t make us feel inferior. We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in our last election. And we didn’t… we didn’t scare so easy. We were able to be all these things, and to do all these things, because we were informed. By great men, men who were revered. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.” – Will Mcavoy, The Newsroom (portrayed by Jeff Daniels)

If any of you haven’t seen this show, please search for the first two seasons online. I believe they’re on Netflix, but if not, both seasons can be found here. I am ecstatic for the new season coming this fall! & feel free to watch the clip below of the quote above– it’s much better than simply reading it!

I was going to take an excerpt from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie‘s segment on Tedx Talks for today’s daily quote–and I still may–but I found the entire transcript and, well, that’s better than a simple quote. It’s long, but def. worth reading. Or, if you’d like to watch her speak, check it out here.

Note: This post is from June 24th, 2013. An update is coming soon and you will find it here.

This. This is the food of America. We are a fast food nation, we are unhealthy, and we are dying.

Well, I’m tired of being another statistic. I am 22 and overweight. I am on the road to, God forbid, diabetes, heart conditions, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, colon cancer, and several other health problems. Why would I confess such things, you say? I’m not. I have no intention on allowing any of these things to happen to me–I pray health over my body always. But, I can’t believe for a healthy body and 120 great years of life while shoving McDoubles, Asiago Ranch Chicken Sandwiches, Chalupas, 3-meat Pizzas, Fries, Dipping Sauces, Cony Dogs, 3-Piece Chicken Tenders, Sodas, Candy, and other endless crap down my throat–yes, do go ahead and play the ‘name that restaurant’ game with some of those things listed above…it was specific on purpose.

I am not only at risk because of my weight, but because these things run in my family. Good ol’ genetics. But, sometimes we make our genetics become what they are, and I’m just not trying to have that.

Yes, people come in all shapes and sizes and they are all beautiful. But, there is a difference in being curvy, and just being–I’m sorry, because I dislike this term–fat. Big girls can “back it up,” sure, but they need to hit the gym too. Being unhealthy and sloppy is not appealing; and being healthy has nothing to do with the stereotypical, and quite unrealistic–though not always–supermodel/celebrity look. I don’t care about that. I’m referring to being and looking as healthy as possible for your age, height and sex. No 4-year-old child, standing 3-4 feet tall should be 300lbs, that’s deadly. Same goes for adults.

For my height, age and sex I should be approx. 117-155llbs. That’s a nice range, and it shows that people don’t have to look the same to be healthy–variation exists. So, don’t accuse me or anyone else of saying that I’m trying to look like some fame-named person. Granted, regardless of what anyone says, society has presented an image of beauty before the masses; and avoiding it entirely is nearly impossible. But I think the two go hand-in-hand. Yeah, television made having a gut look less sexy, but so did the doctor.

I was 143-146 lbs. in 7th-9th grade, and I know most people would ask: why would you wanna look or be the same size that you were between the ages of 12 and 15? But if anyone knows me, they’d know that fast food probably changed my hormones, and I’ve looked quite “mature” for quite some time– when I was 12, I didn’t look it! Back then, I was a dancer and super fit. But once I got to high school, my only activity was PE, which wasn’t much–we went bowling and played pool for 1/4 of the semester. By junior year, physical ed. was no longer a requirement and that’s when the weight came. I hit 150 lbs. and thought: “whoo, I’m so big!” Then, 160 came and the doctor told me that I was over the mark but it was okay–just don’t gain anymore. Now, I’m going into grad school at about 194 and I need to make a change.

So, today the journey begins. Today, I become a healthier me. Sure, I’ve said it before & I’ve tried several times, but this is the time that I go for the goal and push all the way through. I’m ready to start anew. I’m moving to NYC in August, starting my Master’s program in social work, moving out of my parent’s home and stepping on the pavements of reality. There’s no better time than the present.

So wish me luck! & feel free to join me on the road to new health and new beginnings 🙂